food or drink. But it cannot vomit back
the poison of pornography. Once
recorded, it always remains subject to
recall, flashing its perverted images
across your mind, with power to draw
you away from the wholesome things
in life. Avoid it like the plague!
Honor Your Wife
To you who are not yet married, think about your
future marriage. Choose your companion well.
Remember the scriptures that teach the importance
of marriage in the temple:
“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or
degrees;
“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must
enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the
new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.”^5
The highest ordinances in the house of the Lord
are received by husband and wife together and
equally—or not at all!
In retrospect, I see that the most important day of
my life was the day when my sweetheart, Dantzel,
and I were married in the holy temple. Without her
I could not have the highest and most enduring
blessings of the priesthood. Without her I would not
be the father to our wonderful children or grandfather
to our precious grandchildren.
As fathers we should have love unbounded for the
mothers of our children. We should accord to them
the gratitude, respect, and praise that they deserve.
Husbands, to keep alive the spirit of romance in your
marriage, be considerate and kind in the tender
intimacies of your married life. Let your thoughts
and actions inspire confidence and trust. Let your
words be wholesome and your time together be
uplifting. Let nothing in life take priority over your
wife—neither work, recreation, nor hobby.
An ideal marriage is a true partnership between two
imperfect people, each striving to complement the
other, to keep the commandments, and to do the
will of the Lord.
The Family Is Ordained of God
The family is the most important unit of society
and of the Church. The family is ordained of God.
It is central to His plan for the eternal destiny of
His children.^6 “God has established families to bring
happiness to his children, to allow them to learn
correct principles in a loving
atmosphere, and to prepare them for
eternal life.”^7Fathers Preside over the Family
in Love
Parents have the primary responsibility
for the welfare of their children.^8 The
Church does not replace that parental responsi-
bility. Ideally, the Latter-day Saint family is presided
over by a worthy man who holds the priesthood.
This patriarchal authority has been honored among
the people of God in all dispensations. It is of
divine origin, and that union, if sealed by proper
authority, will continue throughout eternity. He
who is the Father of us all and the source of this
authority demands that governance in the home be
in love and righteousness.^9
You fathers can help with the dishes, care for a crying
baby, and change a diaper. And perhaps some
Sunday you could get the children ready for Church,
and your wife could sit in the car and honk.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church, and gave himself for it.”^10 With that kind
of love, brethren, we will be better husbands and
fathers, more loving and spiritual leaders. Happiness
at home is most likely to be achieved when practices
there are founded upon the teachings of Jesus
Christ.^11 Ours is the responsibility to ensure that we
have family prayer, scripture study, and family
home evening. Ours is the responsibility to prepare
our children to receive the ordinances of salvation
and exaltation and the blessings promised to tithe
payers. Ours is the privilege to bestow priesthood
blessings of healing, comfort, and direction.
The home is the great laboratory of love. There the
raw chemicals of selfishness and greed are melded
in the crucible of cooperation to yield compassionate
concern and love one for another.^12Express Love to Your Wife, Mother, Sisters
Honor the special sisters in your lives, brethren.
Express your love to your wife, to your mother, and to
the sisters. Praise them for their forbearance with you
even when you are not at your best. Thank the Lord
for these sisters who—like our Heavenly Father—love
us not only for what we are but for what we may
become. Humbly I thank God for my mother, my
sisters, my daughters, granddaughters, and for my
special sweetheart, companion, and friend—my wife!214 MEN’SDIVINEROLES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES